We haven’t written much about food stamp fraud lately. Longtime readers know that it has been a ‘hobby’ of mine to follow immigrants scamming our Department of Agriculture not for little stuff, but for the big bucks reaped from trafficking in food stamps.
I’m posting this case, because it’s big, because they sent millions to Lebanon, and because we have so many new readers who may not know about this side interest here at RRW. And, because I am sick of writing about the “chiiildruun!”
Most of the food stamp fraud cases we see are (and will be) posted at the facebook page: Diversity’s Dark Side.
Two Palm Beach County brothers who funneled millions in federal food stamp money back to their native Lebanon were sentenced to nearly six years in prison Thursday for scamming the program that is intended to feed the poor.
With engineering degrees from top universities, Ali Jaber, 52, and his 42-year-old brother, Hadi, could have become role models for fellow immigrants, prosecutor Carolyn Bell told U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks. Instead, they used their store, Fajita’s Meat & Fish on 10th Avenue North, to defraud the federal government.
Even their attorneys acknowledged that the two should have known better than to get involved in the scam. Instead of charging customers’ debit-style food stamp cards for groceries, the brothers gave the customers cash. They charged customers as much as 50 percent commission for the service and were reimbursed by the government for the bogus transactions.
“He should have known better at his age and with his education,” said attorney Fred Haddad, who represents Ali Jaber, who has a master’s degree in mechanical engineering.
[….]
Most of the money was sent to banks in Beirut, Lebanon, where the Jabers have relatives, according to court documents. That money, government officials say, is impossible to retrieve.
If you suspect food stamp fraud in your local immigrant-run convenience store, you can report your suspicions here (That post is nearly a year old, so hope the phone numbers are still good!). This West Palm Beach investigation got underway thanks to a Grandma’s tip! Note that those who sold their benefits were also arrested!
Our entire food stamp fraud archive (going back at least 6 years is here). Some wannabe blogger should really create a whole blog on immigrant-run convenience store food stamp fraud. You would have hot news to post everyday! And, I truly believe there is training abroad to teach would-be scammers how to buy convenience stores/mom & pop gas stations in the US, get in the country legally, and set up the fraud. We are such suckers!
Tell Rush about this, doesn’t he live around here?
